Please explain to me why so many people don't get how seat belt laws are completely unjust?

Question

Some people will say, it's okay because it saves lives. I say to those people, it's not okay. Will you still feel the same way when you have to get a permit to have sex? Will you still feel the same way when you must wear a helmet and bullet proof vest at all times since that too saves lives. Will it be okay when all your conversations are monitored? Will it be okay when all areas of your life are recorded since of course that could solve many crimes and save many lives. Maybe Americans today want the country to take this route. I'm old school, I still believe as our fore fathers believed. I believe in freedom and don't want to lose it no matter the cost. Hey, you must now ride public transportation to go where you want to go for 10 percent of your income, it's for your own good. You are more likely to live longer this way. That's what the future holds for people who think it's okay for the government to enforce seat belt laws.

People apparently don't understand my reference to helmets above. If it's okay by your standards that people must wear seat belts by law then you will surely find it okay to wear helmets when you walk down the street, work at your office job, and at all other times since it could very well save your life. Let's not stop there either, let's give you shoulder pads, knee pads, oxygen tanks, a protective suit, sunglasses, and a police escort to protect you as well. These are all the same as seat belt enforcement. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE!!! I certainly agree that it's smart to wear seat belts and that everyone should wear one, but the government has no right whatsoever to force you to wear one by law.

Answer 1

You are a victim of the nanny state. Socialists in congress want to control every aspect of your life and they started years ago with the seat belt laws. "You are too stupid to take care of yourself correctly so we are going to make you take care of yourself. Even if it only saves one life it will be worth it." Bull

Answer 2

You're missing a few things:

Driving is a privelage, not a right. Therefore you are going to give up some of your personal rights in order to make travelling in a motor vehicle safer. You are not required to own a car, so if you don't like the laws don't drive.

Also remember that what makes seat belts special is that every one of us is required to have insurance. When lots of big claims go in, everyone's insurance goes up a little bit to compensate for the loss. Seat belts are proven to save lives & reduce injury... and it's the injury/death claims that go into millions, not the value of a wrecked car. If most of us agree seat belts are good, why should my insurance go up so that the minority can continue to do something risky in their car?

Also keep in mind the roads are PUBLIC property. You have every right to drive around your farm without a seat belt. But when you benefit from & use public property, you must follow the rules. This would be like being angry you can't go into a public library and have a "right" to yell or throw books.

I believe in freedom, too, but the bigger our society gets the more rules we have to have in order to maintain peace & affordable living.

No it's not OK all conversations are monitored, but a violations of privacy isn't the same as you getting on a public road and doing something that might cost you your life.

Answer 3

Actually, there are no seat belt "laws". Nothing has ever been passed by any legislature along those lines. As in the vast majority of traffic matters, you are dealing with administrative regulation. There is a compelling school of thought that government has authority to regulate only commercial vehicles via the commerce clause of the constitution.. Privately owned automobiles are outside the scope of administrative regulation, although you would have to battle that out in court. At any rate, traffic enforcement absolutely never follows proper administrative procedure and is easily defeated in court when subject-matter jurisdiction is challenged. I wish more people would learn the true Law and their rights!

Answer 4

I like your logic and ideas about freedom but,in my State, the police in my town will write me a ticket for 50 bucks if I do not wear a seat belt and my insurance will go up as a result , I also see as the safety issue as well as the insurance that we all have to pay for any person who gets into accident and no health care and health insurance.So we who pay taxes will pick up these uninsured' bills.In my opinion social and responsibility go together and you and me live in the world of dollar sign and everything is money or bill.I have the ideas that someone is making money from you and me.I urge you dig harder and harder.You will find more and more stuff that you will be shock and it calls capitalism and the victim of imperialism.This is another kind of brainwashed that keep people from getting rich and I can compare with the third world countries that the leaders keep the people hungry so the poor had to look for food in order to keep his or her mouth shut. I do not think it is okay to have so many tickets and go to public safety schools that open year round seven days a week.

Answer 5

THEY have to start somewhere. So when you don't object to having to wear a seat belt...it will be easier to get you to comply with other things such as the permits for sex.

Im against seatbelts for adults. I think the seatbelt law and laws regarding child safety restraining seats are good but as an adult I think I should be able to make my own decision if I want to wear a seat belt or not. Besides, women have breasts and some bigger than others and when women wear seat belts it often goes very snugly right between them accentuating the cleavage and making the breasts stand out and this could potentially cause an accident as it might distract some male drivers and cause an accident.

Answer 6

The government (whether local or federal) are responsible for maintaining and regulating the use of highways/freeways, etc. A freedom is not infringed just because you may have regulations. Also, since you were speaking of the forefathers, let me mention a gentleman by the name of Abraham Lincoln, who said in the Gettysburg Address: "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." In that respect, since we (the people) are the government, we have determined that people are better off with regulations pertaining to seatbelt use. In your perfect world, everyone would have the freedom to do anything they want. Where do you stop freedom versus freedom with the moral obligation to protect the citizenry? Complete freedom without respect for law/regulation would be anarchial.

Answer 7

Ever been in an accident when you weren't wearing your seatbelt? I have, and I was sitting in the backseat. All I have to say is that it hurts...BAD! And I wasn't even seriously injured. Being stuck in bed for a week barely able to move because your entire body is one giant bruise inside and out is not any fun at all.
Oh yeah, and there is also the possibility of killing someone else when your body becomes a moving object that is traveling at 45 mph! Think about your family and friends, and if you are still too selfish, just know that I work hard for my money and I don't want my tax money to go toward your medical bills because you can't take the 2 seconds it requires to put it on!

Answer 8

Seat belts reduce the severity of injuries as well as saving lives.It costs society to take care of people who are injured severely. They are a drain on the health care system, the welfare system, the entire economy since they are no longer productive citizens contributing to the GNP.The government has weighed the costs and benefits of seat belt regulation. The small loss of liberty is worth the gain to society.

The other issues you raise, are called slippery slope arguments. Of course, you know that the government is ALREADY monitoring your conversations, and many more areas of your life than you realize. I agree with you there, we are on a slippery slope, losing many civil rights.

I think it's foolish to oppose ALL government regulation, some is beneficial and can be limited in scope. We have to be vigilant, we have to look at each law or practice and question whether it's worth giving up a bit of freedom for, and whether the new law or practice really does protect us..

Answer 9

Paranoid much? I was raised old-school by my parents who beat the crap out of my if I so much as looked like I was thinking about misbehaving. They made me wear my seatbelt because it's all about safety and common sense when riding in a car. To this day, I do not get into a car that I am either driving or a passenger in without fastening my seatbelt. Nor do I allow anyone to ride with me who does not wear a seatbelt. If they don't like it, they can get the f*ck out of my car! Nor do I ride in non-helmet law states without a helmet. Again with the common sense! I am an adult and I know what is safe and what isn't. In a collision, I don't want someone else flying through their windshield and hitting me because they are not strapped down, and I have had this happen before (300 lb drunk redneck). And you damned well better strap your little bastard kids in when they are in the car. It's not about the government trying to take away your freedom to kill yourself, it's about showing that you might have some sense of adult responsibility. Jeez!

Answer 10

Are you sure?

Seatbelts really save lives! If only more people fastened it... !
Also, they make the injuries smaller, thus your taxes wouldn't go to so many injured people who didn't use a seatbelt. Or how about the orphans, who's parents die because they lacked seatbelts? You pay for those poor children too!

As for helmets, they are even more important. Unprotected eyes for a biker can cause accdents in the nick of the time.

It doesn't take your freedom away. It only serves you and the society you live in.